76ers eliminate top-seed Bulls in first round upset

By Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY

PHILADELPHIA
–
In the Philadelphia 76ers locker room, players and coaches had eyes on TVs, watching the conclusion of the Atlanta Hawks-Boston Celtics game and waiting to see if the Celtics would be their second-round opponent.

By Matt Slocum, AP

Philadelphia 76ers' Evan Turner, left, and Andre Iguodala react on the scorer's table after the 76ers won Game 6 and the first-round series over the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night at Philadelphia.

Bulls forward Taj Gibson was last to take off his uniform, answering question after question, trying to respond while saying he was at a loss for words.

"It really sucks," Gibson said. "We put up a great effort, especially in the fourth quarter. It was one of the best fourth quarters we had in this series. To lose like that, I'm (peeved). Because it came down to will. Them against us. … You don't want to lose like that."

How did the Bulls lose 79-78 in Game 6 on Thursday and drop the series 4-2 to the Sixers?

Bulls backup center Omer Asik, who played a fantastic game (10 points, nine rebounds, two blocks) for injured center Joakim Noah, missed two free throws with the Bulls up 78-77 and seven seconds left.

Sixers forward Andre Iguodala secured the rebound on Asik's second miss, dribbled the length of the floor and was fouled by Asik with 2.2 seconds left. Iguodala made both free throws, and guard C.J. Watson's heave from half court hit the back of the rim and fell to the floor at the buzzer.

The final 30 seconds were frenzied, the kind of up-and-down action that delivers playoff moments, both good and bad. Asik gave the Bulls a 78-75 lead on a two-handed dunk with 25.8 seconds left. It was the kind of play the Bulls executed all season without All-Star point Derrick Rose — Watson delivered a nice pass to Asik after a high pick-and-roll near halfcourt.

Watson's pass to Asik seconds later turned out to be the game-changing moment.

Sixers forward Thaddeus Young made it 78-77. Bulls forward Ronnie Brewer inbounded the ball to Watson, who beat the Sixers' defense down the court, and had a 2-on-1 with Asik. Watson passed to Asik who was fouled hard by Sixers center Spencer Hawes.

Hamilton thought a flagrant foul should have been called. Hawes used his right arm to take down Asik, and one could argue he got Asik by either the neck or shoulders.

"You can't grab nobody by the neck. That's in the rulebook. That's an automatic flagrant, but they didn't call it," Hamilton said.

"I will tell you, I thought we had three great officials. I will say that," he said.

Still, Thibodeau wondered if a flagrant should have been called, giving Asik two free throws and the Bulls the ball.

"I've got to get more clarity on what a flagrant foul is because I don't understand that. … I don't want to put it on the officials. It wasn't the officials. We didn't do what we should have done, which is close out the game," he said.

Thibodeau made his point without saying enough to draw a fine.

Asik missed the two free throws, giving the Sixers the chance to win. Teammates defended Asik, knowing he will be criticized.

"He was awesome on both ends of the floor. We would've never been where we were in that game if it wasn't for the way he played tonight," Hamilton said.

Asik left the locker room without speaking to news reporters, although that's not unusual. While his English is improving and he understands it when he hears it, he isn't always at ease speaking it in interview situations.

That left Watson to answer a tough question: Why didn't he just try to dribble out the clock in the final seconds and leave the ball in a foul shooter's hands? Asik shot 45.6% during the regular season and 50% during the playoffs from the free throw line.

It was a split-second decision with Watson seeing an open player cutting to the basket.

"I thought he had a clear dunk," Watson said. "I thought it was a questionable call. It didn't go that way.

"If anything, it's on me. I put him in a bad position. Like I said, I thought he had a clear dunk."

Said Thibodeau: "You can probably dribble out the clock."

Hamilton didn't place blame on either Asik or Watson.

"You've just got to trust your teammates and trust yourself to make the right decision," Hamilton said. "It's one of those plays. Omer was playing great the whole game."

Watson will replay it. So will Asik.

The Bulls made the walk from the locker room through the underbelly of the arena to the bus waiting to take them to the airport for the flight to Chicago.

The Bulls are left to wonder what might have been had Rose not torn his left anterior cruciate ligament in Game 1. Had Noah not sprained his ankle in Game 3. Had Gibson not sprained his ankle in Game 5. Had forward Luol Deng not played with a torn ligament in his left wrist.

The Sixers watched the Celtics beat the Hawks 83-80.

Game 1 for Sixers-Celtics is Saturday.

The offseason for Chicago is now.

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